The Orioles have plenty of reasons to worry in 2026, but none may sting more than Gunnar Henderson’s slide.
A couple of years ago, Henderson looked like the kind of player a franchise can build around without hesitation - a legitimate MVP contender and one of the most electric bats in the game. Even after his power dipped last year, he was still clearly a difference-maker. This season, though, the picture has turned far less comforting, and the trouble seems to be deepening as the year wears on.
That’s why the pressure on Henderson feels so heavy. Baltimore doesn’t really have a fallback if he isn’t one of its best players, and manager Craig Albernaz made that plain before yesterday’s game: “For us to get where we need to go, Gunnar Henderson has to be Gunnar Henderson.”
It sounds obvious on paper, but the message is clear enough: the Orioles need Henderson to drive winning, not just occupy a spot in the lineup. Right now, he’s still affecting the team - just not in the way anyone wants. The drop-off from what he was in 2025 to what he is now has been significant enough that you can reasonably connect it to Adley Rutschman getting traded, at least in part.
The bigger concern is how stuck this all feels. Henderson appears to be in a downward spiral, and there doesn’t seem to be an easy fix in sight for him or for anyone around him.
So the question for Orioles fans is a straightforward one: will Gunnar Henderson ever be good for Baltimore again? However you define “good,” the benchmark could be a 4+ bWAR season - a strong player, even if not quite the star-level force he showed before. If he gets back there, it would at least suggest the problems are being corrected and the trajectory is pointing upward again.
Maybe you think the answer is yes. Maybe you think he’s lost it.
Maybe you think the current Orioles approach won’t be the place where he turns it around. Either way, that’s the conversation now.
In Other News...
Orioles Suddenly Have Another Catching Problem To Solve
A thin catching group in Baltimore got even thinner at Target Field, where Yohel Pozo had to leave the game after taking a swing to the left hand from Josh Bell. Pozo was down with left index finger pain, adding another layer of concern for an Orioles team already navigating a shortage behind the plate.
Samuel Basallo is still out with right shoulder inflammation, and the Orioles do not have Adley Rutschman available after trading him to Boston following his time on the injured list. Silas Ardoin is on the taxi squad in Minneapolis and looms as the most immediate roster option if Baltimore needs another catcher in a hurry. [Read more 🡒]
Orioles Deadline Return Is Already Fueling A New Roster Debate
The Orioles post-deadline overhaul has already started to show up in box scores and roster chatter, with Baltimore sending out Adley Rutschman, Dean Kremer, Tyler Wells and Taylor Ward and bringing back nine players in a deal that reshaped the organization in one move. Some of the newcomers are already in action for the big club or at affiliate stops, and early returns have given the front office a fresh set of questions about how quickly this group can help.
Carlos Narvez, Anthony Eyanson, Kyson Witherspoon and Enddy Azocar are among the arrivals drawing the most attention, though their first steps in the system have not all landed the same way. For a club trying to balance immediate lineup needs with longer-term upside, the early snapshots from these players are already feeding a new debate about what the Orioles should prioritize next as the deadline dust settles. [Read more 🡒]
Orioles Need Samuel Basallo Back For More Than Just Depth
Samuel Basallo has started back up with throwing and hitting drills as he works through right shoulder inflammation, a welcome sign for an Orioles club that has had to adjust to life without Adley Rutschman. The return timeline is still unsettled, but the fact that Basallo is back doing baseball activities at least puts him on the road toward rejoining the mix.
For Baltimore, the intrigue goes beyond simply filling a spot behind the plate. Basallo is viewed as the catcher of the future, and the Orioles need to see him healthy enough to handle the kind of development that comes with being more than a depth piece. His progress matters because the organization is counting on him to become a real part of the next chapter, not just an emergency option when the roster gets thin. [Read more 🡒]